2. Two-Factor Authentication

Even when your password is long and complex, it could be cracked, if someone spends adequate time and effort on it.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra security layer to your login process by requiring additional information that only you possess, on top of the usual username and password combo.

For instance, you can set up a 2FA protocol that sends a “One Time Use” code to your phone when logging in to WordPress. With that, even when someone becomes privy to your password, they won’t be able to access your site.

3. Watch Your Username

Understandably, most people have their personal or professional email addresses, or “admin” as their usernames, which hackers find easy to guess and crack.

As WordPress restricts the number of times you can change your username, the best way to do it is by creating another user account, granting it admin rights and deleting the default account. Do this by going to Users > New User and follow the prompts.

Note that a different email and password are required for every new account.

After you’re through with the registration, use your default account to assign administrative duties to the new one.

Afterward, log out and log in using the new account, then go to the ‘Users’ dashboard and click the delete option under the old account.

You are safe now – sort of!

4. Update WordPress and Plugins

You probably know that WordPress is an open source system that’s under constant maintenance and updating by tens of developers.

Updates and upgrades usually come with improved security tools, among other features that improve performance.

Minor WordPress updates and changes from maintenance are always updated automatically, but you will need to install major upgrades manually, unless you use a plugin or add some code.

5. Use Web Application Firewall (WAF)

In the spirit of being proactive, rather than reactive, use a Web Application Firewall to prevent malicious scripts and malware from reaching your WordPress site.

Firewalls typically block all “suspicious” traffic including bots, DDoS attempts, and blacklisted IPs, and, depending on the provider, also clean up your website after an attack.

For your information, it’s very costly to clean up or restore a hacked website, and the bill can run into hundreds of dollars.

WAF services, on the other hand, only cost about $100 per year, which is a small price to pay for keeping your website safe.

Popular WAF services include:

Sucuri;

CloudFlare;

Indusface TAS.

6. Implement SSL Protocol

If your WordPress website requires users to register using personal data, or it’s an eCommerce platform, the least you can do is put in place measures to protect not only your site but also private user information.

7. Be Cautious with Plugins

Using cheap or poorly developed plugins can make your site vulnerable to malware attacks.

As such, keep off all free or cheap plugins that you see being promoted on social media, and only buy yours from reputable sites. And even then, search for user reviews, or even better, expert reviews from trusted sites, before opening your wallet.

Most importantly, check the date of the last update for every plugin or theme that you intend to buy, and its compatibility with the WordPress version that you’re using.

Avoid plugins that were updated more than a year ago, as it indicates a lack of interest or hope from the developers, and may have outdated security features that may endanger your WordPress site.

8. Regular Backups

Sadly, no matter how much you try to prevent it, a hacker can still manage to get through to your website.

Sometimes, your WordPress site might be damaged by mistakes and errors, such as problems when installing plugins, or administrative errors.

Backing up your site data several times a week, including all files, emails, databases, and posts greatly minimizes the impact of such situations, and makes it easy and cheap to restore your site.

Backup services are commonly provided by hosting companies, so you might want to check with yours to see what plans they’re offering.

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Richard Nolan is a professional educator and team building coach, sharing his experience in spheres of writing, blogging, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Currently, Richard works as an editor-in-chief for essaywritersite.com.

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Hi, I'm Radu!

I'm the founder and one-man army behind all of this. Even though ThemeSkills was founded in 2014, I've been working with WordPress and SEO since 2011. I also know a bit of Photoshop and a bit more CSS and HTML. I also own WebStoked.com and Radu.link.